🧩 How it works
Web browsers cannot talk to USB fingerprint scanners directly. The FlockAMS Scanner Agent — a small background program — runs on the church computer and connects the scanner to this web app. The setup below is done once per computer; after that the agent starts automatically every time the computer is used, and restarts itself if it ever stops.
📋 What you need
- A ZKTeco fingerprint scanner (e.g. ZK4500, ZK9500 / SLK20R series) and its USB cable
- A Windows PC (the scanner driver is Windows-only)
- The official ZKTeco fingerprint driver (ZKFinger SDK) — supplied with your scanner, or download from zkteco.com (Support → Downloads)
- The FlockAMS Scanner Agent — download here
1 Install the ZKTeco driver
- Run the ZKTeco driver installer (right-click → Run as administrator) and accept the defaults.
- Plug the scanner directly into a USB port on the computer — avoid USB hubs and monitor ports, which often can't power the scanner.
2 Install the FlockAMS Scanner Agent (one time)
- Download the Scanner Agent and extract the zip.
- Right-click
install.ps1→ Run with PowerShell (as Administrator). - Wait for "Installation complete!" — that's it.
✅ The agent now starts automatically at every login and restarts itself if it
ever stops. There is nothing to launch manually, ever.
3 Enrol fingerprints
- Log in to your church dashboard on the same computer.
- Open a member's profile and click Enrol Fingerprint.
- The member places the same finger on the scanner 3 times when prompted.
✅ Once enrolled, marking attendance is instant: open Fingerprint Attendance,
select the service, and members simply touch the scanner as they arrive.
🔧 Troubleshooting
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| "Cannot connect to ZKFinger service (ws://localhost:19099)" | The agent isn't running. Log out of Windows and back in (the agent starts at login), or re-run install.ps1. If never installed, do Steps 1–2. |
| Connected, but no response when touching the scanner ("Scanner did not respond in time") | Usually USB power: plug the scanner directly into the PC (not a hub or monitor), unplug it, wait 5 seconds, plug it back in, then try again. |
Installer says "Agent did not start", or the log shows ZKFPM_Init failed repeating |
Plug the scanner into the computer and wait about 30 seconds — the driver finishes setting up on first connection and the agent picks it up automatically. No reinstall needed. |
| Scanner works on one PC but not another | Each computer needs its own one-time setup (Steps 1–2). The setup is per-PC, not per-account. |
| Fingerprint not recognised at attendance | Ask the member to use the finger they enrolled with, press flat and firmly. Re-enrol if the finger was injured or the first enrolment was poor quality. |
| Something else / still stuck | Check the agent's log file at C:\ProgramData\FlockAMS\ScannerAgent\bridge.log and include its last lines in a support ticket. |
Still stuck? Contact support from your dashboard: Support → New Ticket.